Haven’t you noticed your grandmother having difficulty holding a cup of tea and you helping her? Yes, tremors can be a common occurrence in the elderly. But, this is not a rule. Tremors are the involuntary shaking motion of body parts. For Parkinson’s Disease, tremors occur at rest, resembles a pill rolling movement of the fingers and is less intense during a voluntary activity. These respond to medications, but need to be under expert care since the disease can be progressive. Essential tremor in contrast occurs in both the upper limbs and can also involve the neck muscles and even voice. Meditation, high degree of concentration on a task to execute it, might control the tremor effectively. Psychogenic tremors originate from anxiety and stress and onset can be in younger years. Physiological tremor, as the term indicates, is in fact an exaggeration of a normality.
When we grow older, we need to identify reasons for tremors which could be secondary to excess use of tea, some medications, excess thyroid hormone or fluctuating blood sugars due to diabetes. Treatment would be addressing these specific concerns. Tremors can also be induced by drugs used for the treatment of asthma, depression or allergy. Detailed discussions with a family physician will help distinguish between modifiable and unmodifiable causes of tremors. Let me remind you that physical activity and physiotherapy if indicated are the key remedial factors apart from using drugs for treatable causes of tremors. The ultimate intention should be to preserve abilities for routine activities.
(The author is a geriatric expert and chairman and managing director of Jothydev’s Diabetes Research Centre in Thiruvananthapuram)
